Chinanews, October 17th (Sweet) A total of 8 million confirmed cases!

After Time magazine featured the cover of the White House as the “Birthplace of the Virus,” and the New York Times published a full page of the obituaries of 1,000 deceased COVID-19 victims, this number that made American society feel even heavier has arrived.

　　According to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, as of 1 o'clock on October 17th, Beijing time, a total of 8,08,402 new crown cases have been diagnosed in the United States, with 218,097 deaths, ranking first in the world.

　　Especially in recent days, the curve of the epidemic that had been eased once again showed an upward trend, and the situation in many places was severe, triggering concerns about the second wave of epidemics.

Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins University, believes that multiple data indicators indicate that the United States is "going in the wrong direction."

On October 14, the Simon Hoff Flower Park near Liberty City, Miami, USA, was filled with tombstone-shaped white plastic plaques commemorating the deceased of the new crown.

A crisis that has intensified across the United States

　　"This is not a regional crisis, but a crisis that has intensified almost all over the country." On October 16, the Washington Post pointed out in a report on the country's epidemic.

　　Since October 3, the average daily number of new confirmed cases in the United States has exceeded 40,000.

According to Reuters statistics, California is still the most severely affected state in the United States, followed by Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia.

These five states account for about 40% of the total number of new crown cases in the United States.

　　In the central and western regions, the heart-wrenching scene of hospital resource shortages and shortage of intensive care beds was once again staged.

Wisconsin, one of the “hot spots” of the epidemic, recently launched a field hospital to fight the “epidemic”.

　　The latest report released by the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Association shows that the number of infections among children in the United States has increased rapidly, with nearly 80,000 new cases in two weeks.

　　A few days ago, the White House was also "covered" by the virus, and many people including US President Trump and First Lady Melania were diagnosed.

At present, the Trumps' new coronavirus tests have turned negative.

　　Dr. Megan Lanney, associate professor and emergency room doctor at Brown University in the United States, worried that the recent trend of the epidemic seemed to mean that the second wave of the epidemic in the United States had begun.

On October 5, US President Trump, who was infected with the new crown virus, left the National Military Medical Center and returned to Washington. When he arrived at the White House, he took off his mask.

"Wearing a mask is the simplest and most effective method"

　　On the 5th, at the White House, US President Trump, who had not recovered from the new crown at the time, took off his mask and accepted media photos.

　　Ten days later, at a voter question and answer meeting in Florida, Trump, who had tested negative, said that he did not mind people wearing masks.

But he immediately emphasized that "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement stating that 85% of people who wear masks will be infected with this (new crown) virus."

　　Trump's remarks once again attracted major US media "corrections."

The Associated Press pointed out that the study cited by the CDC did not have this conclusion. A number of studies have also shown that wearing a mask can provide protection for the wearer.

Data map: Under the epidemic, tourists in Huntington Beach, California, USA, are in constant interest.

　　Looking at the United States, although nearly 10 months have passed since the outbreak, when asked about this purely public health problem, the answers given by Americans are also very different-there are always people wearing masks on the street. Some people didn't wear anything.

　　The Washington Post of the United States stated that “wearing a mask is the simplest and most effective public health method to fight the new crown pneumonia. However, from the beginning, the United States has stumbled on the issue of masks.”

　　Just recently, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows refused to wear a mask for interviews during the break of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing.

The Republican Senator Mike Lee, who was diagnosed with the new crown a few days ago, not only attended the hearing of Justice Barrett, but also did not wear a mask when speaking or maintained social distance with others.

　　Although experts have always given prevention and control advice on whether to wear masks from the perspective of public health and safety, people can't listen. Anthony Fauci, the chief infectious disease expert in the United States, recently said bluntly, "This is really unfortunate."

　　Columbia University virologist Angela Rasmussen predicts that in the United States, the new crown epidemic will not be “the epidemic will end someday” as people say, but will “be a long-lasting process. It may be a few years."

　　The latest prediction results of the new crown epidemic model released by the Institute of Health Statistics and Evaluation of the University of Washington in the United States show that according to the current development trend of the epidemic, by February 1, 2021, the cumulative number of new crown deaths in the United States may be nearly 400,000.

　　The forecast also shows that if the prevention and control measures are relaxed, the cumulative deaths in the United States will exceed 500,000 by then; and if 95% of the public can insist on wearing masks, the cumulative deaths will be about 315,000 by then.

On October 4, in Washington, the capital of the United States, 20,000 chairs were placed on the lawn on the south side of the White House to mourn the deaths of more than 200,000 new crowns in the United States.

Herd immunity is "neither scientific nor ethical"

　　"The future of the country" has also been affected-as of now, nearly 700,000 children in the United States have been infected with the new crown, and there are continuous epidemics in schools.

The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in the United States reported that the new coronary pneumonia has risen to the second leading cause of death in the United States...

　　In a severe situation, the concept of "herd immunity" has once again been brought to the debate table of all walks of life in the United States.

This idea is not new, and has been put on the agenda of the White House many times before.

At a recent meeting, the Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Hilki proposed to use "herd immunity" as the ultimate measure against the virus.

　　In early October, the three scientists favored by the White House also jointly drafted a "Great Barrington Declaration", calling for the new crown virus to "freely spread" among healthy young people at a "natural speed" to ensure the operation of major economic sectors."

Jindi, a citizen of San Francisco, California, sells homemade masks on the roadside.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Guanguan

　　In response, more scientific voices criticized that this idea is unrealistic and unethical.

　　The World Health Organization announced on the 15th that most scientists believe that "herd immunity" must be achieved after vaccination and on the basis of the people's production of antibodies.

"Today, when the vaccine is not yet available, the rash promotion of this approach will greatly increase the number of people infected with the new crown, which is tantamount to sending more people to the death line... This approach is neither ethical nor feasible. "

　　Greg Gonçalves, an epidemiologist at the Yale School of Public Health, said even more bluntly, “It’s okay to embrace (viral) with the lure of this deceptive policy, thinking that you are not in danger and that your elders are taken care of. It doesn't work."

　　Fauci also criticized that the idea of ​​"herd immunity" is "nonsense" and very dangerous.

He also warned that the current increase in cases in many regions of the United States may have dire consequences in the coming months.

　　"So, we must redouble our efforts on the basic public health measures that we talk about every day because they can work." Fauci emphasized.

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